How To Bathe Soft Pretzels
Time for a BATH!
You may be tempted to skip this step but this is what gives some of the pretzel color as well as the texture of the crust and the soft interior.
HINT: When I make these, just before I start forming the pretzels I start the bath so that the water is boiling and ready for me when I come to this step.
Use a big wide pot combine the water and baking soda. Stir to make sure the soda dissolves which increases the pH of the water necessary for the pretzel taste.
Technique
One at a time place a formed pretzel in the boiling water for 30 seconds. Go ahead and splash the top with the water as well.
Remove with a large flat spatula or spider and place on a baking sheet lined with silpat.
Parchment paper also works, but make sure to brush the paper with vegetable oil or the pretzels will stick and be very hard to remove.
41 Replies to "Homemade Soft Pretzels"
Brittany July 9, 2013 (1:08 pm)
I am in the middle of baking these pretzels! Can’t wait! I saw that the flour is 22oz approx 4 1/2 cups. I’m a little confused because 22oz is equal to 2 1/2 cups. I’m going to double check the amount!
Thanks for the recipe!
Kimberly FiveLittleChefs July 9, 2013 (1:32 pm)
Honestly, I just copied the recipe from the food network site. http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/homemade-soft-pretzels-recipe/index.html I used about 4 1/2 cups.
Jennifer Aldridge July 30, 2013 (11:13 am)
Oh wow, this is dangerous. I should not know how to make these at home….very tempting.
cj October 24, 2013 (8:06 pm)
This recipe is so good! Wondering..can I make the dough the night before and put in fridge to “retard” it and then boil and bake them the next night?
Spicy Catholic October 30, 2013 (8:50 pm)
We made these today! Just perfect. Made pretzel bites for the little ones, too, a huge hit. Bringing them for our school snack in a couple of weeks. Thanks for the recipe, so super glad I found your pin& site!
AThornton November 13, 2013 (5:07 pm)
Just made these with my 5 yr old and we love them! I had to substitute a little whole wheat flour (because I was short the white flour) but they turned out great! Waiting to surprise our 9 and 11 yr old when they get home from school! Thanks for the great recipe!
Kimberly FiveLittleChefs November 13, 2013 (9:10 pm)
I hope your 5 year old had fun cooking! I’m glad you liked them.
Cindy January 19, 2014 (1:11 pm)
These are awesome….I am so glad I found your site and recipe. I did a trail run today,next time my
9year old nephew and I will make them.
Kimberly FiveLittleChefs January 20, 2014 (9:07 am)
I’m glad you liked them!
Sharon J. Gilman January 23, 2014 (8:29 pm)
I just made these tonight and they came out delicious! A word to the wise: parchment paper is not supposed to go in the oven lol! For some reason I put the wax paper on the baking sheet before I put the pretzels in the oven. It wasn’t until the smoke alarm went off before I double checked your directions and transferred them onto another baking sheet!
Kimberly FiveLittleChefs January 24, 2014 (11:07 am)
Parchment paper can go in the oven, wax paper will cause a problem. At least you have a story to tell and will laugh each time you make these! That is memorable. We are always laughing and remembering (for the better and worse) our mistakes!
audrey January 26, 2014 (8:35 am)
If I only have a hand mixer will that work?
Kimberly FiveLittleChefs January 28, 2014 (9:24 pm)
Up to a certain point I think it would work then you will probably need to finish it off by hand.
Heather February 13, 2014 (12:55 pm)
I just mixed the whole thing by hand with a wooden spoon. when you can’t stir anymore, you will need to dump it all out and knead by hand, but this is how I make all of my breads and they turn out great! These are in the oven right now! 🙂
Kimberly FiveLittleChefs February 14, 2014 (11:53 am)
Glad you are loving them!
Pa February 19, 2014 (6:02 pm)
I had trouble getting the dough to roll out very long and thin. The longest I could get the snake was about 18″ so my pretzels were pretty thick with nearly no holes. As my husband said, ‘who cares they taste great’ but wondering if you have any advice. The dough seemed pretty dry too.
Kimberly FiveLittleChefs February 20, 2014 (9:48 pm)
It sounds like you needed to add just a bit of water. I don’t measure, I just splash a little water over the dough and knead, knead, knead. If it is still dry I add more. (Add flour if it is ever too wet.) This will also help with getting the dough to roll out a little better. Depending on the weather the recipe will produce a perfect dough or I may need to add just a splash of water. The dough should feel soft and easy to knead.
Ruth Corthell March 27, 2014 (8:39 am)
Okay, you guys are going to hate me, but I substituted the salt with sugar and cinnamon…..yummmy!!!
Kimberly FiveLittleChefs March 27, 2014 (10:01 am)
I like it too. I just haven’t put it up yet!
Heather Smith {Woods of Bell Trees} May 28, 2014 (10:45 pm)
I really, really, really want some of these more than words can explain! I am on a low carb diet and these are looking like the most delicious thing ever! Mmmmm
Brailey June 13, 2014 (3:11 pm)
These just came out of the oven!! Had a blast making them with my sons, 1 & 4 yrs! And my hubby is going to die when he gets home!! He LOVES these things! We will probably have to make more tomorrow!! 🙂 This is definitely going to be deadly in our house! So glad I found this!! Been lookin for a good pretzel recipe, and these are amazing!!!!!
Cami June 17, 2014 (1:41 pm)
When I made these they came out okay, but the taste of the baking soda was overpowering! What could I do to lessen that?
Pam June 28, 2014 (5:56 pm)
Anybody know if you can freeze them after you boil them and then bake later? THESE REALLY ARE FABULOUS!
colleen December 2, 2015 (11:05 am)
I go through all the steps, including the boiling, then I freeze them, and when my kids want one, we microwave for 45 seconds
Shannon June 30, 2014 (8:55 am)
Just to note……..your directions under the pictures state to bake at 350 but the recipe below states 450. First batch I baked at 350 and had to cook longer the second batch I baked at 450 and it cooked in the time stated. They were absolutely delicious though!
Caitlin July 7, 2014 (2:16 pm)
I was wondering…about how many does this recipe yield?
Kimberly FiveLittleChefs July 9, 2014 (7:08 pm)
I get 8 large pretzels.
Leslie January 24, 2015 (1:10 pm)
Just made the dough for these with my 2yr old son, he loves helping me in the kitchen! In the rising process right now, but I can’t wait to try them!
Lori February 18, 2015 (2:41 pm)
I made these today and they are great! The dough is perfect…rolls easily and doesn’t stick. Will definitely be making these again.
Marie March 4, 2015 (8:31 am)
Quick question before I attempt these with my son – your first set of instructions says to bake at 350, and your detailed instructions says to bake at 450. Which is it? Thanks!
Kimberly March 4, 2015 (8:52 am)
It is 450. I just fixed it. Thanks for letting me know. Enjoy making these with your son!
Marie March 5, 2015 (12:53 pm)
Waiting for the dough to rise at this moment – thanks!! ☺️
Kim~madeinaday April 16, 2015 (9:27 am)
These pretzels look great! I’m a beer & pretzel kind of girl and We need a great tried but true recipe! Stopping by to let you know I am featuring them in my P3 Party Post tomorrow! So look for some social media love from me. Thanks so much for pinning them to the board! Pinned to my own recipe board too!
Kim
Kimberly April 16, 2015 (10:26 pm)
Thanks for the feature. We make this recipe over and over again!
Kerryann September 16, 2015 (1:58 pm)
In teaspoons, how much would 2 ounces of butter be?
Kimberly September 18, 2015 (9:40 pm)
1 oz = 6 teaspoons so I would say 2 oz = 12 teaspoons
sharon September 27, 2015 (10:56 am)
Hi! Looks like a great recipe and I would really like to try it.
could you please tell me how many grams or ounces a package of dry yeast would be? (I’m living in Europe)
Thank you very much ,
Sharon
Kimberly September 27, 2015 (6:06 pm)
1 packet of yeast is 7 grams – according to google because I didn’t know either 🙂
sharon October 13, 2015 (8:43 am)
Thank you so much !;)